Titi Abubakar, the wife of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has charged stakeholders anchoring the fight against human trafficking and smuggling of migrants to brace up for the job ahead of them.

Ms Abubakar gave the charge in Abuja on Monday at the closing session of a three-day retreat by the West Africa Coalition Against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (WACTIPSOM) which began on Saturday.

WACTIPSOM is a group of civil society organisations across West Africa fighting the scourge of human trafficking and smuggling of migrants.

The retreat was with the support of the International Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), the promoter of Action Against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (A-TIPSOM).

It is a project funded by the European Union.

Ms Abubakar, the founder of Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF), enjoined the stakeholders to take the fight against human trafficking seriously in their various domain.

She called on the stakeholders to ensure all the content of the document signed by each of representive of the various countries was carried to conquer the menace of human trafficking and smuggling of migrants across the board.

Ms Abubakar said, “I enjoin you as WACTIPSOM, we have to take the fight against human trafficking and smuggling of migrants seriously. I was not here when the retreat started but I know there must be document, constitution to that effect.

“It is business, ensure you do something as a response from this retreat if you want to see that there is no more trafficking and smuggling of migrants.”

She added, “Please take this fight as a serious job, be serious about it, NGO is a kindness job I have been doing it but don’t worry. Your reward is in heaven, there are countless of  children that are dying in the Mediterranean sea even while you are seated here today.

“Even when these children have been told not to go, even when you warn them, some of them still want to go. There is gnashing of teeth with these people while they are in the Mediterranean sea, they have gone and seen for themselves.”

(NAN)